Labor Crunch Fuels Pursuit of Expanded Immigrant Work Options

An influx of new migrants to the US, coupled with ongoing labor shortages, has brought elected officials, employers, and immigrant advocates together to press the Biden administration for expanded work permits to address both challenges.

Proponents of additional legal employment options for migrants have backed multiple solutions, which come amid a swell of migrant crossings along the southern US border. Some are calling for fixes to legal barriers facing asylum seekers, while others are pushing for a more novel extension of parole options to new groups of immigrants.

Both routes face political or legal obstacles to adoption.

With persistent gridlock ...